Congress passed and sent legislation to President Bush...

Congress passed and sent legislation to President Bush that would give rape victims and convicted felons greater access to DNA testing. The bill was approved by the House and Senate on voice votes without dissent. Bush is expected to sign it. The bill would provide an additional $350 million to improve legal representation in death penalty cases. It would ensure access to post-conviction DNA testing for those serving time in prison or on death row, and provide $755 million in grants over the next 5 years to clear the backlog of some 350,000 untested DNA samples in rape evidence kits. It's estimated 40 percent of the outstanding rapes could be solved by comparing the database coming from testing these kits in the existing database in the state prison systems where DNA's on the record. The House passed similar legislation nearly a year ago. In an effort to win Senate approval, the House added a Senate-written plan that provides $155 million for victims' assistance programs. Victims groups have pushed for the bill, which was inspired by 2 people: Kirk Bloodsworth of Maryland, who was cleared by DNA testing after spending 9 years in prison, including two on death row, on rape and murder charges; and Debbie Smith, a Virginia resident, who waited 6 years for DNA evidence to identify the man who raped her.